Shoe-stretcher



(No Model.)

H. SBAGON. SHOE STRETGHER.

No. 562,791 Patented June so, 1896.

ANDREW ILGRMAM. Pnmo-mnuwhsnmawu. I: C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY S. BACON, OF \VORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-STRETCH ER.

$PECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,791, dated June 30, 1896. Application filed May 27, 1895. Serial No. 550,783. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. BACON, of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of lllassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoe Stretchers, which will,in connection with the accompanying drawings, be hereinafter fully dc scribed, and specifically defined in the ap pended claim.

In said drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my implement as when closed down and not in use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the same as when opened, the front toggle, the rod, and handle being showin elevation.

The object of this invention is to provide an implement by which the upper of the front portion of a shoe can be stretched by a vertical action, so as to give increased depth of space within such shoe for the foot of the wearer; and the invention consists of a bottom plate, that is practically of the outline and contour of the front part of the shoe-sole, which plate is toothed upon its under side to afiord a firm grip upon the sole, and a stud formed upon and at the rear of said plate. An upper plate of preferably less area than said lower plate, but of conforming outlines, is at its rear end bifurcated, so that it is on each side pivoted to a rod that passes through the studs formed on the lower plate, while nearer the front ends said plates are connected together by a toggle-joint, to the central pivot of which a stirrup is connected, in which is pivoted the front end of a rod, which rod is threaded in an arm that is pivoted at the connection at the rear ends of said upper and lower plates, a suitable handle being secured upon said rod by which to rotate it and thereby cause its advance or retraction and thereby the straightening and folding down of said toggle-joint.

Referring again to said drawings, Arepreseuts said upper plate, and B the lower plate, the two being at their rear ends connected by pivot a, that is secured in standard 72 of plate B, said pivot also passing through the bifurcations c' i of plate A. Nearer the front ends said plates are connected together by the tog gle-links b c, which at their outer ends are pivoted at b c to the ears j respectively formed upon plates A B. The inner or meeting ends of said links are connected together by pivot d, on which pivot is also mounted the stirrup e in which is pivotally secured the reduced end of rod D by the pin f, so that the rod can be freely rotated in said stirrup and as it is moved back and forth the stirrup must move with it. A nut O is arranged 011 pivot a and the rod D is threaded in said nut, the thread on the rod being shown at g, and a handle D, secured on the end of D, serves as a means for rotating the same.

When rod D is retracted as shown in Fig. 1, the plates A B at the front end are brought together and then the device is placed in the shoe. The teeth a, bearing upon the insole, hold the plates in place, and then by actuating and thus advancing rod D the toggle-joint is straightened and thereby plate A is elevated above B to the required extent to impart to the upper the needed stretch to aiford the desired room in the toe part of the shoe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a shoe-stretcher, the combination of lower plate B, formed with upturned standards h with rod a inserted in them: plate A bifurcated at its rear end and pivoted on said rod, and at the front end connected with sole B by toggle-joints b, c, a stirrup e pivotally connected with said toggle-joints and having rod D rotatively secured in said stirrup, and nut C, pivoted on rod or and threaded to rod D, all substantially as specified.

HENRY S. BACON. lVitnesses:

Joan I. HEYS, T. W. PORTER. 

